Workpieces requiring low levels of contamination, such as semiconductor wafers, are loaded into a rotor within a process chamber. The process chamber has a horizontal drain opening in its cylindrical wall. The chamber is closed via a door. A process or rinsing liquid is introduced into the chamber. The liquid rises to a level so that the workpieces are immersed in the liquid. The chamber slowly pivots or rotates to move the drain opening down to the level of the liquid. The liquid drains out through the drain opening. The drain opening is kept near the surface of the liquid to drain off liquid at a uniform rate. An organic solvent vapor is introduced above the liquid to help prevent droplets of liquid from remaining on the workpieces as the liquid drains off. The rotor spins the workpieces to help to remove any remaining droplets by centrifugal force.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system for processing a workpiece comprising: an interface section; a process section; a process robot moveable to carry a workpiece from the interface section to the process section; a processor unit in the process section, with the processor unit having a process chamber, a drain opening in the process chamber, and a process chamber driver for pivoting the process chamber to drain liquid out of the process chamber by moving the drain opening down to the level of the liquid in the process chamber.
2. The system of claim 1 where the process chamber has a curved sidewall and the drain opening is in the curved sidewall.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the drain opening comprises a slot in the curved sidewall connecting to a drain port.
4. The system of claim 2 where the process chamber is generally cylindrical and has a central axis, and the process chamber driver pivots the process chamber about an axis parallel to the central axis of the generally cylindrical process chamber.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the process chamber pivots about a horizontal axis.
6. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one manifold in the process chamber for introducing a fluid into the process chamber.
7. The system of claim 1 where the process chamber driver pivots the process chamber from a first position where the drain opening is adjacent to the top of the process chamber, to a second position, where the drain outlet is adjacent to the bottom of the process chamber.
8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a rotor rotatably supported within the process chamber, with the rotor having positions for holding workpieces.
9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a door assembly including a closure frame attachable to the process chamber.
10. A system for processing a workpiece comprising: an interface section; a process section; a process robot moveable to carry a workpiece from the interface section to the process section; a processor unit in the process section, with the processor unit having a process chamber including: a drain opening in the process chamber; a process chamber driver for pivoting the process chamber to drain liquid out of the process chamber; and a rotor rotatably supported within the process chamber.
11. The system of claim 10 further comprising at least one manifold in the process chamber, and a flexible supply line joined to the manifold, with the flexible supply line moving with the process chamber as the process chamber pivots.
12. The system of claim 10 further comprising a switchable drain in the process chamber at a position spaced apart from the drain opening.
13. The system of claim 10 where the process chamber comprises a backwall joined to a cylindrical sidewall, and with the process chamber having an open front end, and further comprising door means for closing off the open front end of the process chamber.
14. The system of claim 1 further comprising a first manifold in the process chamber connected to a source of an organic solvent vapor, and a second manifold in the process chamber connected to a source of water.
15. The system of claim 1 where the process chamber is supported only by the process chamber driver.
16. The system of claim 10 further comprising a spin motor connected to the rotor.
17. A processor unit for processing a workpiece, comprising: a process chamber; a workpiece support in the process chamber; a drain opening in the process chamber; and a process chamber driver for pivoting the process chamber to move the drain opening from a first position to a second position relative liquid in the process chamber, to drain liquid out of the process chamber.
18. The processor of claim 17 where the workpiece support comprises a rotor rotatably positioned within the process chamber.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
July 16, 2001
December 30, 2003
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